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8 Classic Hanna-Barbera Cartoons That Deserve Movies Before 'Scooby Doo'

CBS
Proving that there’s nothing Hollywood won’t reboot if given then chance, a new Scooby Doo movie is reportedly in the works at Warner Bros. According to Variety, the studio is looking to send Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang on another spooky adventure, which will be written by Randall Green. The news comes just a year after Warner Bros. also announced plans for an animated Scooby Doo movie, which is reportedly still on track. Though the last live-action Mystery Gang outings, 2002’s Scooby Doo and its sequel Monsters Unleashed, did well commercially, they weren’t received well by critics and fans of the series, which is why it’s surprising that Warner Bros. would be so intent at taking a third shot at big-screen adventure. After all, the live-action Scooby Doo’s were only slightly better than Yogi Bear. There are plenty of other great classic Hanna-Barbera properties that would make for great films, so why does Scooby get a third shot at big screen success? Think about all of the possibilities that are open…
Wacky Races Concept: Think The Lego Movie meets Speed Racer, with a touch of Mega Mind thrown in. Plot: Set at the Wacky Races Grand Prix, a sprawling, dangerous race that spans three days and covers a variety of terrains, the film charts the highs and lows of all your favorite racers, from Penelope Pitstop to the Ant Hill Mob to the Gruesome Twosome, and sees Dick Dastardly’s desperate attempts to finally experience the glory for himself. Starring: Charlie Day as Dick Dastardly, Isla Fisher as Penelope Pitstop, Bill Hader as Clyde the leader of the Ant Hill Mob, Amy Poheler as the Red Max, and Tom Hanks as the Narrator. Directed By: Edgar Wright.
Inch High, Private Eye Concept: The Maltese Falcon meets Osmosis Jones.Plot: The city is being terrorized by a robber who keeps stealing priceless works of art and jewels from museums and homes. The police are understaffed, and the detectives are at their wits’ ends, and the case has reached a dead end. Then, Mrs. Gotrocks hires Inch High, Private Eye, the most brilliant and tortured detective around to look into the case. But she might not like what he finds… Casting: Casey Affleck as Inch High, Kate Mara as Lori, Josh Brolin as Gator, Tommy Lee Jones as Mr. Finkerton and June Squibb as Mrs. Gotrocks. Directed By: The Coen Brothers.
ABC
Hong Kong Phooey Concept: Think 22 Jump Street, but sillier. Plot: Penry Pooch has always wanted to be a cop, but his enthusiasm for the job doesn’t quite balance out his complete incompetence. After failing out of the police academy, he takes a job working as a janitor under the watchful eye of the constantly frustrated Sergeant. One night, when he’s the only one at the precinct, he stops and apprehends a robber, which inspires him to take up crime fighting as Hong Kong Phooey. Luckily, he’s got Spot to help him out of whatever jams he finds himself in. Casting: Will Arnett as Penry, Keith David as Sarge, Anna Kendrick as Rosemary, the telephone operator, and Nick Frost as Spot. Directed By: Shane Black.
The Jetsons Concept: August: Osage County in space. Plot: George Jetson is an ordinary man, living an ordinary life. He loves his family, endures his job and spends his time relaxing with his dog, Astro. But when he catches his wife having an affair with his boss, his world comes crashing down around him, and he’s forced to re-evaluate everything he knew about his life, and decide whether to move forward or move on. Starring: Joaquin Phoenix as George, Sandra Bullock as Jane, Hailee Steinfeld as Judy, and Steve Buscemi as Mr. Spacely, with Art Parksinson as Elroy and Scarlett Johansson as Rosie. Directed By: Spike Jonze.
ABC
JabberJaw Concept: Almost Famous meets Jaws, with a dash of Star Trek .Plot: The Neptunes were on their way to becoming the hottest rock band under the seas, until their drummer abruptly left. Then, they discovered Jabberjaw, a 15-foot-tall shark with the skills of Keith Moon, and it seemed like they had it made. But the path to rock stardom is paved with dangers and it’s time for the Neptunes to face them. Starring: Chris Pratt as Jabberjaw, Adam Levine as Clamhead, Malin Ackerman as Bubbles, Zoe Kravitz as Shelly, and Oscar Isaac as Biff. Directed By: John Carney.
Quick Draw McGraw Concept: A better homage to Blazing Saddles than A Million Ways to Die in the West .Plot: The Wild West is a dangerous place, thanks to outlaws, frequent dueling and a lack of modern medicine, but one man is there to keep order in place, and uphold justice where ever he goes… Sherrif Quick Draw McGraw. Unfortunately, he might have finally met his match when the deadliest outlaw in the west rides into his town. Starring: Damon Wayans Jr. as Quick Draw McGraw and Fred Armisen as Baba Looey.Directed By: Mel Brooks, in an ideal world.
CBS
Space Ghost Concept: It’s basically Guardians of the Galaxy, but with a monkey instead of a raccoon. Plot: After Zorak, Space Ghosts’ nemesis, escapes from prison, he recruits Black Widow (no, not that Black Widow) and Brak and Sisto in order to form a league of villains that will take over the galaxy and allow chaos to reign, but in order to do so, they need a gauntlet of power, one that only Space Ghost’s sidekick Jace possesses. Can Space Ghost and Jan rescue him and save the universe before it’s too late? Starring: Channing Tatum as Space Ghost, Emma Stone as Jan, Miles Teller as Jace, Idris Elba as Zorak, Dwayne Johnson as Brak, Jason Statham as Sisto, and Nicole Beharie as Black Widow (see, told you she was different!).Directed By: Joss Whedon, of course.
Top Cat Concept: Dancing on the Edge meets GoodFellas.Plot: Set in the 1940s, a group of rag-tag musicians are groomed to become a proper jazz sensation. But in order to do so, they’ll have to overcome prejudice, corrupt managers, in-fighting, and substance abuse and stick by each other through everything. Starring: Anthony Mackie as TC, Lamorne Morris as Brain, Albert Tsai as Choo-Choo, Michael B. Jordan as Fancy-Fancy, Josh Gad as Benny the Ball, Ruth Negga as Trixie, and Sean Penn as Officer Dibble.Directed By: Martin Scorsese.
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Everyone seems to agree that the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is superior to its predecessor. This is in part due to Suzanne Collins' excellent source material, but it also owes something to its new director, Francis Lawrence. Lawrence, who also directed the Will Smith hit I Am Legend, participated in a Reddit AMA this week. Here are his most interesting answers.
The hardest scene to shoot: "Anything around the water in the Arena was probably the most difficult to shoot because we shot a lot of that in Atlanta at a water park and it was nearing winter and very cold, and the water was 40 degrees, and so the actors had to spend some time in the water and it was very brutal. Just working around water is tough to begin with. It was supposed to be a tropical setting and there would be some mornings when we'd show up to work and there would be frost covering the set."
On Hunger Games bloopers: "Jen is always after me for a blooper reel. There would be a lot of funny stuff that would happen before "Action" and after Cut, Jen would always be falling...She is still mad at me that the editors never put together a blooper reel for Catching Fire, but we could probably have a good one for Mockingjay, and we've only been shooting for five weeks."
His favorite part of the book Catching Fire: "Again I've always been attracted to the first stop on the Victory tour. I think that's where the story really kicks into another gear and you start to understand that the stakes are far greater than just Katniss's."
On Jennifer Lawrence: "Jen is awesome. She truly is. She's a great girl, she's really fun, she's really funny, she's very down to earth, she's super-humble and extremely talented and I work with her more than anybody on set because she works pretty much every day, and she never ceases to surprise me with her performance and her choices but never takes herself seriously and she's very endearing because of it."
On sequels: "The decision to take on a sequel was probably the thing I had to think about the most. I had never taken on a sequel or taken on an episode of television where I did not create the pilot. So I knew there would be certain parameters I would need to exist within. So I re-read the book, and very quickly saw that there was going to be plenty of room for me to grow, and although I was going to stick to certain aesthetic choices Gary had made so the world would feel the same, I felt that Catching Fire offered me a lot of opportunities to grow and to create and to world-build. So I found it quite easy to take on this sequel. I inherited an unbelievable cast. I got to add a bunch of new amazing actors to the mix. I got to build a brand-new arena. I got to create new portions of the Capitol, New Districts, see District 12 in a brand-new way and especially see the characters themselves grow and change."
On the biggest challenge in filming Mockingjay: "It's a tough story emotionally for Katniss, whereas the first two films have been far more straightforward in terms of Katniss' emotional arc, tracking her emotional trajectory is my greatest challenge."
On Finnick: "We will definitely get a sense of Finnick's backstory in Mockingjay, I just don't want to divulge how, but there are very specific scenes where we learn about his past."
On filming emotions: "Wow, how did I get emotion is a pretty tricky question. I think that I personally felt emotional towards the subject material. I emotionally connect to the characters in the movie and the situations they become involved in, so instinctually I shoot them in ways that make me feel the way I do when I read the story. It's hard to break an emotional scene down technically. But I will say that I think most of it has to do with the investment that one has with the characters, especially Katniss, and allowing time to sit and be with them as people while they're onscreen."
On the final scene: "The scene at the end of the film is straight out of the book, and was scripted (dialogue included) pretty much straight out of the book (maybe one additional line), and Katniss' response at the end of the scene was to break down in the book. And partway through shooting the scene, I caught a glimpse of Jen doing something different. I saw that she started to break down, and then shifted into anger, and defiance, and I liked it, I thought it was better, and I then came up with the idea of the final shot looking straight down with her look nearly into the lens for the final moment. So the ending beat of the film was a circumstance of happy, on-set accidents."
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Boy George has shown off his camera skills by opening his first ever photography exhibition. The Culture Club star has taken pictures for several years and has asked his famous friends to pose for a collection of candid snaps, which are now going on display at the Homotopia Festival in Liverpool, England.
The collection includes fellow 1980s star Steve Strange posing in a London Underground station, Sadie Frost dressed as Madonna, and former pop star Marilyn.
George says, "I've been taking photos for years. I've always carried a camera with me. Originally it was just a hobby. But professionally, if you want to call it that, I've been doing it for five or six years."
The exhibition runs from 31 October to 25 November (13).

Time &amp; Life Pictures
After taking on Nixon, JFK, George W. Bush, and September 11th, filmmaker Oliver Stone, along with potential star Jamie Foxx, might be DreamWorks' choice to bring Martin Luther King Jr.'s life to the screen, as reported by The Playlist. So far, it's not clear exactly how much or what part of King's life DreamWorks is looking to focus on, but Stone is well known for his long, ambling biopics, particularly of political figures.
Stone doesn't shy away from tough topics. If he's at the helm, he's going to want to tackle some of the more complex issues and potentially make large assumptions and leaps to serve his narrative. The man was able to make a film with some pathos for then-current president Bush, so this certainly won't be a slam piece on one of the great American icons and heroes. But the MLK estate has been very tough on films looking to portray the more sordid aspects of King's story, like his alleged infidelity. And with members of the King family working with DreamWorks and against rival projects (including ones from Paul Greengrass and Lee Daniels) it suggests that this may be a more sanitized vision then Stone is used to. Not only would Stone likely rankle at such demands, but erasing the complexity from MLK makes the whole film kind of pointless. Can we not handle a vision of King that paints him as something other than a martyr?
We remember Spike Lee's Malcolm X as a great film because Lee was able to work with Alex Healy/Malcom X's fantastic book, which was open about the various vices in the activist's past. It didn't hurt that the movie was blessed with Denzel Washington's amazing performance.
Now, Jamie Foxx doesn't really resemble King, but his quiet dignity mixed with deep, deep, anger and pain in last year's Django Unchained was a level of subtlety he hasn't shown since his Oscar-winning turn in Ray back in 2005. But after seeing Foxx's goofy side this summer in White House Down, his striking dissimilarities from King could really derail this film, and it doesn't really make sense why he's the top choice. But clearly DreamWorks is looking for a star, and most of the other bona fide black stars are either too old to play the 39-year-old King, have already played another distinct historical figure, or both.
What's frustrating is that there is so much room for more interpretations of King's life. Richard Nixon, for example, was not only the subject of one of Stone's lengthy films, but also has appeared in documentaries, other narratives, dramas, onstage (in the superb Frost/Nixon, which, by the way, was also turned into an Oscar nominated film), in comedies like Dick, graphic novels, and even an opera. He's been portrayed as a genius, an idiot, a crook, a coward, a fool, a hero, an opportunist, a good president, bad president, good person, and bad person. There's a wealth of creative material all based around or involving his life. Martin Luther King Jr. is a figure as large as Nixon, and like all people, was just as complex, but we rarely get to see a true representation of what that might have been like.
In short, while it's all well and good that filmmakers are interested in bringing MLK to the screen, it might not be possible for a divisive director like Stone and a potentially miscast star like Foxx to make this film a worthy one. And if it is regarded poorly, that might lead his family to become even more protective of his amazing story.
Not to mention, Drunk History did it first.

Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to late British broadcaster David Frost as he mourns the loss of his "good friend" following his death on Saturday (31Aug13). The 74 year old, who was portrayed by Michael Sheen in Oscar-nominated movie Frost/Nixon, died after suffering a heart attack on a cruise ship, and his longtime pal McCartney has now spoken of his sadness following the loss of his friend.
In a post on his website, McCartney states, "I was very sad to hear that my good friend David Frost passed away recently. I have known David for many years. We first met when he was doing a stand up comedy routine in the London night club Quaglinos. I also went to see him at The Blue Angel in London and we bumped into each other at many social events during the 'Swinging 60s'.
"He interviewed me several times, most recently for the Al Jazeera Network. He was always a most interesting interviewer and, as history has proven, had many famous encounters such as the Frost/Nixon series of interviews."
The Beatles star goes on to extend his condolences to Frost's wife, Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, and their three sons.
He adds, "On a personal level I send my deepest sympathies to his lovely wife Carina and their three sons Miles, Wilfred and George, who I first remember when they came downstairs during a party to say good night wearing rather stunning striped pyjamas! He will be missed by many friends and I am proud to be able to say I was one of them."
Other tributes to Frost came from famous friends and fans including Daryl Hannah, Larry King, Yoko Ono, Mia Farrow and Russell Crowe.

The "Oscar bump" — the coveted box office upswing resultant of a feature film's Academy Award nomination. Every January, the announcement of the year's Oscar nods gives you one final push to finally head to the theaters for that collection of classy and interesting films you've been putting off seeing, despite everyone telling you that you just have to go see them, you just have to. Oftentimes, the branding of a movie with the Best Picture Award nomination is enough to provoke a surge in viewership, hiking the immediate box office intake of said flick substantially.
RELATED: 2013 Oscar Nominations: See the Full List of Nominees Here!
This year's top nods include big earners and small wonders alike. Ranking highest among the 85th Annual Academy Award Best Picture nominees is Steven Spielberg's biopic Lincoln, with a standing gross of just under $145 million, domestically. At the bottom of the list is the revered foreign film Amour, having taken in $311,247 to date. Check below for the complete list:Lincoln — $144,089,046
Argo — $110,106,919
Django Unchained — $106,280,122
Les Miserables — $103,503,040
Life of Pi — $91,039,488
Silver Linings Playbook — $34,676,769
Beasts of the Southern Wild — $11,240,985
Zero Dark Thirty — $4,406,138
Amour — $311,247
But now that each of these films, all playing in national or select theaters with the exception of summer release Beasts of the Southern Wild, has become an Academy dignitary, it's worth paying attention to the lot's forthcoming box office behavior. A few of the films are bound to rake in a ticket sale boost, but is this more likely in the already flourishing, fun-filled Django Unchained, or a more personal story of love and psychological trauma like Silver Linings Playbook?
RELATED: Oscar Nominees 101: Everything You Need to Know About the Stars and Their Movies
Looking back at the Oscar nominations of the last eight years, we can pick out a few notable films that flourished in the wake of their Best Picture nods:
In 2012...
Following nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards, recognized films The Descendants, Hugo, The Artist, and The Help each experienced a hike in box office attention. The intimate George Clooney dramedy The Descendants observed the most drastic influence, with a 170% increase in ticket sales from the weekend prior to nomination announcements to the weekend immediately following. Hugo was a close second, with a 168% weekend-to-weekend increase. Ticket sale jumps for The Artist and The Help amounted to 40% and 32%, respectively.
RELATED: Oscar Nominations 2013: Biggest Snubs and Surprises — GALLERY
But it is not a given for any film to develop new popularity, even in light of awards recognition. Moneyball, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and War Horse each saw a continuation of their organic steady declines in ticket sales pass right through the height of their competitors' heightened attention. In trying to determine the rationale for these distinctions, one could consider the factor of these films' release dates. However, this just presents further questions: Moneyball's September of 2011 opening could explain why it failed to soar through the Oscar season in comparison to later releases like The Descendants, The Artist, and Hugo. But with Extremely Loud and War Horse both Christmas Day releases, later than their more successful (in this respect) contemporaries, curiosity soars. Not to mention the fact that The Help's theatrical arrival in August '11 long preceded any of these other titles.
In 2011...
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards Best Picture nominations saw fewer Oscar boost scenarios, primarily due to many of its recognized features already being out of theaters:127 Hours
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 1,702%
Release date: Nov. 12, 2010
The King's Speech
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 41%
Release date: September 6, 2010
True Grit
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 3%
Release date: Dec. 22, 2010
In 2010...
A similar case overtook the 82nd Annual Academy Awards Best Picture nominations. Of the 10 recognized films, only five were still in theaters at the time of the nominations. And of those five, only two experienced immediate box office boosts.
An Education
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 541%
Release date: October 30, 2009
Precious
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 120%
Release date: November 6, 2009
In 2009...
The 81st Annual Academy Awards was the last ceremony to only nominate five films for Best Picture. Each of these films experienced an Oscar bump following nominations.Frost/Nixon
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 351%
Release date: Dec. 5, 2008
Slumdog Millionaire
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 83%
Release date: Nov. 12, 2008
Milk
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 14%
Release date: Nov. 26, 2008
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 9%
Release date: Dec. 25, 2008
The Reader
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 9%
Release date: Dec. 10, 2008
In 2008...
No Country for Old Men
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 100%
Release date: Nov. 9, 2007
There Will Be Blood
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 66%
Release date: Dec. 26, 2007
Juno
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 2%
Release date: Dec. 12, 2007
In 2007...
The Departed
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 1015%
Release date: Oct. 6, 2006
Little Miss Sunshine
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 189%
Release date: July 26, 2006
Letters from Iwo Jima
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 38%
Release date: Dec. 20, 2006
Babel
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 24%
Release date: Oct. 27, 2006
The Queen
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 18%
Release date: Sept. 30, 2006
In 2006...
Good Night and Good Luck
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 740%
Release date: Oct. 7, 2005
Capote
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 229%
Release date: Sept. 30, 2005
In 2005...
Million Dollar Baby
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 1015%
Release date: Dec. 15, 2004
Finding Neverland
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 125%
Release date: Nov. 12, 2004
Ray
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 123%
Release date: Oct. 29, 2004
Sideways
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 123%
Release date: Oct. 22, 2004
The Aviator
Weekend-to-weekend increase surrounding nomination: 56%
Release date: Dec. 17, 2004
[Photo Credit: Weinstein Company, Sony Picture Classics]
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To brand someone with the moniker “Yoko” has, for many years now, meant to assign him or her the blame for a group’s undoing — many a social clique has fallen victim to the influence of an interloping Yoko, a figure that disrupted the status quo with its “new ideas” on how things should operate. Well, if the namesake of this unflattering designation, Yoko Ono, is to be believed in her recently publicized revelations about the breakup of The Beatles, you might begin to put into retirement the Yoko stamp and instead start wielding a new title for said offenders: Paul. Although, really, this would probably get a little confusing, since the odds have it that you actually know a few people who are named Paul.
In a newly released 1987 interview with the iconic rock and roll reporter Joe Smith, courtesy of The Huffington Post, Ono disclosed her perspective on the downfall of the Fab Four, which she places on the shoulders not of herself, nor of the late John Lennon, but of Paul McCartney and his influence on the other band members. “The Beatles were getting very independent," Ono said. "Each one of them [was] getting independent. John, in fact, was not the first who wanted to leave the Beatles.”
Ono explains that one by one, each of the musicians expressed desire to leave the group behind: “[We saw] Ringo [Starr] one night with Maureen [Starkey Tigrett], and he came to John and me and said he wanted to leave. George [Harrison] was next, and then John.”
The avant-garde artist told Smith, “Paul [McCartney] was the only one trying to hold the Beatles together. But the other three thought Paul would hold the Beatles together as his band. They were getting to be like Paul's band, which they didn't like."
Recent years have already worked to mend Ono's reputation as the guilty party behind the Beatles' breakup. McCartney has gone on record to absolve Ono of this fault, most recently in an October interview with David Frost, when he pegged the blame to the Beatles' agent Allen Klein in the wake of their manager Brian Epstein's death. This latest perspective is yet another nail in the coffin of the stigma against the Yokos of the world. I guess the Barenaked Ladies were right.
[Photo Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images]
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While recent animated blockbusters have aimed to viewers of all ages starting with fantastical concepts and breathtaking visuals but tackling complex emotional issues along the way Ice Age: Continental Drift is crafted especially for the wee ones — and it works. Venturing back to prehistoric times once again the fourth Ice Age film paints broad strokes on the theme of familial relationships throwing in plenty of physical comedy along the way. The movie isn't that far off from one of the many Land Before Time direct-to-video sequels: not particularly innovative or necessary but harmless thrilling fun for anyone with a sense of humor. Unless they have a particular distaste for wooly mammoths the kids will love it.
Ice Age: Continental Drift continues to snowball its cartoon roster bringing back the original film's trio (Ray Romano as Manny the Mammoth Denis Leary as Diego the Sabertooth Tiger and John Leguizamo as Sid the Sloth) new faces acquired over the course of the franchise (Queen Latifah as Manny's wife Ellie) and a handful of new characters to spice things up everyone from Nicki Minaj as Manny's daughter Steffie to Wanda Sykes as Sid's wily grandma. The whole gang is living a pleasant existence as a herd with Manny's biggest problem being playing overbearing dad to the rebellious daughter. Teen mammoths they always want to go out and play by the waterfall! Whippersnappers.
The main thrust of the film comes when Scratch the Rat (whose silent comedy routines in the vein of Tex Avery/WB cartoons continue to be the series highlight) accidentally cracks the singular continent Pangea into the world we know today. Manny Diego and Sid find themselves stranded on an iceberg once again forced on a road trip journey of survival. The rest of the herd embarks to meet them giving Steffie time to realize the true meaning of friendship with help from her mole pal Louis (Josh Gad).
The ham-handed lessons may drag for those who've passed Kindergarten but Ice Age: Continental Drift is a lot of fun when the main gang crosses paths with a group of villainous pirates. (Back then monkeys rabbits and seals were hitting the high seas together pillaging via boat-shaped icebergs. Obviously.) Quickly Ice Age becomes an old school pirate adventure complete with maritime navigation buried treasure and sword fights. Gut (Peter Dinklage) an evil ape with a deadly... fingernail leads the evil-doers who pose an entertaining threat for the familiar bunch. Jennifer Lopez pops by as Gut's second-in-command Shira the White Tiger and the film's two cats have a chase scene that should rouse even the most apathetic adults. Hearing Dinklage (of Game of Thrones fame) belt out a pirate shanty may be worth the price of admission alone.
With solid action (that doesn't need the 3D addition) cartoony animation and gags out the wazoo Ice Age: Continental Drift is entertainment to enjoy with the whole family. Revelatory? Not quite. Until we get a feature length silent film of Scratch's acorn pursuit we may never see a "classic" Ice Age film but Continental Drift keeps it together long enough to tell a simple story with delightful flare that should hold attention spans of any length. Massive amounts of sugar not even required.
[Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox]

A kids’ movie without the cheeky jokes for adults is like a big juicy BLT without the B… or the T. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted may have a title that sounds like it was made up in a cartoon sequel laboratory but when it comes to serving up laughs just think of the film as a BLT with enough extra bacon to satisfy even the wildest of animals — or even a parent with a gaggle of tots in tow. Yes even with that whole "Afro Circus" nonsense.
It’s not often that we find exhaustively franchised films like the Madagascar set that still work after almost seven years. Despite being spun off into TV shows and Christmas specials in addition to its big screen adventures the series has not only maintained its momentum it has maintained the part we were pleasantly surprised by the first time around: great jokes.
In this third installment of the series – the trilogy-maker if you will – directing duo Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath add Conrad Vernon (director Monsters Vs. Aliens) to the helm as our trusty gang swings back into action. Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) are stuck in Africa after the hullaballoo of Madagascar 2 and they’ll do anything to get back to their beloved New York. Just a hop skip and a jump away in Monte Carlo the penguins are doing their usual greedy schtick but the zoo animals catch up with them just in time to catch the eye of the sinister animal control stickler Captain Dubois (Frances McDormand). And just like that the practically super human captain is chasing them through Monte Carlo and the rest of Europe in hopes of planting Alex’s perfectly coifed lion head on her wall of prized animals.
Luckily for pint-sized viewers Dubois’ terrifying presence is balanced out by her sheer inhuman strength uncanny guiles and Stretch Armstrong flexibility (ah the wonder of cartoons) as well as Alex’s escape plan: the New Yorkers run away with the European circus. While Dubois’ terrifying Doberman-like presence looms over the entire film a sense of levity (which is a word the kiddies might learn from Stiller’s eloquent lion) comes from the plan for salvation in which the circus animals and the zoo animals band together to revamp the circus and catch the eye of a big-time American agent. Sure the pacing throughout the first act is practically nonexistent running like a stampede through the jungle but by the time we're palling around under the big top the film finds its footing.
The visual splendor of the film (and man is there a champion size serving of it) the magnificent danger and suspense is enhanced to great effect by the addition of 3D technology – and not once is there a gratuitous beverage or desperate Crocodile Dundee knife waved in our faces to prove its worth. The caveat is that the soundtrack employs a certain infectious Katy Perry ditty at the height of the 3D spectacular so parents get ready to hear that on repeat until the leaves turn yellow.
But visual delights and adventurous zoo animals aside Madagascar 3’s real strength is in its script. With the addition of Noah Baumbach (Greenberg The Squid and the Whale) to the screenwriting team the script is infused with a heightened level of almost sarcastic gravitas – a welcome addition to the characteristically adult-friendly reference-heavy humor of the other Madagascar films. To bring the script to life Paramount enlisted three more than able actors: Vitaly the Siberian tiger (Bryan Cranston) Gia the Leopard (Jessica Chastain) and Stefano the Italian Sealion (Martin Short). With all three actors draped in European accents it might take viewers a minute to realize that the cantankerous tiger is one and the same as the man who plays an Albuquerque drug lord on Breaking Bad but that makes it that much sweeter to hear him utter slant-curse words like “Bolshevik” with his usual gusto.
Between the laughs the terror of McDormand’s Captain Dubois and the breathtaking virtual European tour the Zoosters’ accidental vacation is one worth taking. Madagascar 3 is by no means an insta-classic but it’s a perfectly suited for your Summer-at-the-movies oasis.